BBC says sorry for Wimbledon chit-chat after commentary complaints

The BBC has apologised to viewers of Wimbledon after it received a number of complaints about the commentary team’s ‘over-talking’ , including too much ‘chit-chat’ during points at the championships.

Tim Henman , John McEnroe , Boris Becker and other former players were all employed by the Beeb to ‘add balance and insight where necessary’, but some viewers were unhappy with the amount of talking.

The BBC’s commentary during Wimbledon has been criticised by viewers

Excessive chit-chat by the commentary team led to more than 100 complaints during the two-week tournament, which saw Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova win the men’s and women’s singles respectively.

In a statement on the BBC’s complaints website, the corporation said: ‘We hope that across our coverage we have achieved the right balance and have accurately reflected the event, but we are of course sorry if on occasion you have not been satisfied.’

Andrew Castle , who led much of the commentary on crucial matches at SW19, was the subject of the majority of complaints.

Disgruntled viewers logged on to the Points of View website to complain, dedicating an entire thread to Castle’s commentary.

One viewer said the former tennis professional turned the tournament into a ‘light entertainment show’ through constant references to celebrities in the crowd.

He was also criticised for his assessment of defeated British semi-finalist Andy Murray, who lost to the eventual runner-up Rafael Nadal.